Bishop Charles Edward Blake Sr. serves as the Presiding Bishop and Chief Apostle of the Church of God in Christ, a 6 million-member Holiness-Pentecostal denomination. Blake is the fifth Presiding Bishop (seventh leader) of the historically African-American denomination. Since 1985, he has been the Jurisdictional Prelate of the First Ecclesiastic Jurisdiction of Southern California, overseeing the more than 250 churches that make up the jurisdiction.
Bishop Blake is the pastor of West Angeles Church of God in Christ, one of the largest churches in the Western United States, with a membership of over 24,000. He is recognized as one of the great preachers of this generation with a message that ministers to the whole person and brings together people of various racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Bishop Blake is also a community and world leader sought after by presidents and kings. Yet, he serves with a humility that embraces "the least of these." The heart of Bishop Blake is seen quite clearly in the love that he has for the children in Africa who have become orphans because of the HIV/AIDS pandemic plaguing the continent. In response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa, Bishop Blake founded and is president of the Pan African Children's Fund (PACF). Save Africa's Children, a program of PACF currently provides support to over 160 orphanages throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Bishop Blake was the founding Chair of the Board of Directors for C.H. Mason Theological Seminary, and has served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, and as a Board Member of the Board of Directors for the Interdenominational Theological Seminary. Bishop Blake has served as Chair of the Executive Committee, member of the Board of Directors of Oral Roberts University, and as a member of the Board of Directors of International Charismatic Bible Ministries.
Bishop Blake has also formerly served as an Advisory Committee Member of the Pentecostal World Conference, and as the founder and Co-chair of the Los Angeles Ecumenical Congress (LAEC), an interdenominational coalition of religious leaders and pastors.
Bishop Blake's awards and accolades are numerous. A few include: the Salvation Army's William Booth Award, the Greenlining Institute's Big Heart Award, and the designated recipient of the L.A. Urban League's Whitney M. Young Award for the year 2000.
Bishop Blake is married to Mae Lawrence Blake. They have three children and 7 grandchildren.
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